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Living Free - May 13, 2014

Open, honest, loving communication is vital to a healthy marriage and to growing through conflict. A married couple's inability to reach a resolution to an angry disagreement can usually be traced to poor communication. Tempers flaring and hateful words spouted can quickly block any productive communication..

Consider this …

What is your first reaction when you become angry with your spouse?

Storm out of the room and slam the door?

Stop speaking? And then when your spouse asks what is wrong, do you respond with a woeful "Oh … nothing (sigh)" or a sarcastic "Well, if you don't know, I'm sure not going to explain it to you.

Or maybe you just blurt out the first hurtful words that come to mind. Perhaps you even resort to name-calling.

All of these reactions block communication and delay the possibility of resolving the conflict.

Ask God to help you develop the biblical trait of staying calm and being slow to anger. To be more sensitive to your mate's needs and less demanding about your own desires. To learn to share your feelings in love. And to learn to listen, really listen.

Prayer

Father, teach me to stay calm in tense situations with my spouse. Help me not do anything to block communication. Help me to be less demanding about what I want and more sensitive to my mate's needs. In Jesus' name...

These thoughts were drawn from … Anger: Our Master or Our Servant by Larry Heath. This study offers a clear explanation of anger, what causes it, and how to recognize when you are sinning with anger. It not only ministers to church members, but serves as a powerful evangelistic tool. Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups and we encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used effectively as a personal study for individuals or couples.